To me, communication is constituted by the difference between speaking and conversing, hearing and listening, seeing and watching. In each of these pairings of words, the first is a passive action, while the other is a communicative action. When someone is communicating something to an audience (whether that audience consists of one person or hundreds of people), they must have a clear focus and intent; they must know both what they want to communicate and how they want to communicate it.
As applied to Japanese language learning, there are a number of different concepts that make up communication. Obviously, clear, appropriately accented speech is necessary to be understood, but Japanese presents a set of challenges for English-speakers that are both difficult and exciting to overcome. To truly communicate in Japanese, one must be aware of the cultural subtleties that define the boundaries between plain, polite, and formal speech. The grammatical structure is such that English speakers must completely throw out their notion of grammar and word order, seeking not word-for-word translations between English and Japanese but instead translations that feel natural within both languages. I think this aspect of "absorbing" the nature of the Japanese language is one of the most rewarding and fascinating parts of studying Japanese - my main point being that only after one has truly absorbed the Japanese language in this way can one truly communicate in it.
All these concepts of communication certainly apply to the podcasting project. Having to put together an entire script that is professional and effective as well as natural and flowing is a major task in any foreign language. I think I will gain valuable Japanese language skills in the process of completing this project. I think as far as our specific project goes, I will be interested to see how Japanese food manifests itself in New York City, having some experience with similar dishes in Japan. I will be interested to hopefully talk to some of the people who work in the restaurants to get their perspective on Japanese culture and its existence - or portrayal - in America.
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ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right to bring up cultural subtleties. These exist not only in word order and idiomatic expressions, but also in the mannerisms that are culturally different. Our language labs always try to get us to notice these mannerisms in the videos, but they are best picked up in Japan.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that Japanese seem to be much more reserved about some things, but much more open about other things compared to America. I used to not tell my American friends about onsen bathes (Japanese public bathes) because I knew they'd be shocked to hear that I'd get in a bath with other women. They wouldn't understand that it's considered fine because you must shower first. I loved those bathes. They're warm, relaxing, luxurious, and it's not uncomfortable to be around people you don't know. In fact, I have a childhood memory of a bunch of older ladies speaking kindly to me at an onsen bath. I was staying at a tradition-style hotel, and I played a game with them, swimming from one end of the bath to the other.
But anyway, cultural differences are very interesting to study, and I'm interested to hear restaurant workers' perspectives on the comparison. I'm looking forward to seeing your podcast!
I totally agree with your idea that only after understanding the culture of Japan. Sensei mentioned that Japanese tense emphasizes the relativity of actions by having complete and incomplete tense instead of absolute past, present and future. This feature of Japanese language reflects Japanese culture and even East Asian culture in general that everything is considered to be relative.
ReplyDeleteSo there must be many other features in Japanese that could be better understood if we have a certain knowledge of its culture.
Yeah, it gets complicated when you start thinking about cultural subtleties in communication, not just verbally, but gesturally as well. That's why it's so important to visit the country whose language you are learning, and to learn about the culture as well. I also like how you made a distinction on this basis between sort of being able to speak versus being able to communicate in Japanese.
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